News in Brief for the week of November 15, 2010

The adventures of McGill's Quidditch team leads our News Brief items this week. Read on for more.

November 18, 2010

Magic for McGill Quidditch team at World Cup

McGill’s Quidditch team finished 16th at the fourth annual Quidditch World Cup held in New York City. Inspired by the fictional game of Harry Potter fame, Quidditch is now enjoyed by muggles (people without magic powers) around the world – as witnessed by this year’s event which attracted more than 750 participants from around North America.

McGill, acquitted itself well, excelling in the first day (including a 90-10 drubbing of Harvard) to advance from the original pool of 46 to the final elimination round of 24. McGill’s team, while not winning the cup, came home with some hardware, being presented the Manshel Award for sportsmanship. The McGill team celebrated by leading the crowd in a rousing rendition of O Canada.

Tour de force

A pair of McGill students and two student-run initiatives took home awards at the Forces AVENIR gala held in Sherbrooke on Nov. 10. Deborah Hayek, who graduated this past spring in Anthropology and Social Sciences, and Jonathan Glencross, a fourth-year student in the School of the Environment, both won in the Personality – Undergraduates category. McGill’s Montreal World Health Organization Simulation (MonWHO) took top the top prize in the Health category, while the Developing Pictures initiative took first place in the Art, Literature and Culture section.

The Forces AVENIR university program aims to recognize, honour and promote the achievements of students who have exhibited remarkable excellence and commitment while rigorously pursuing their university studies. Grants totaling $114,000, international internships and extraordinary visibility are handed out to the finalists and award recipients.

Book Fair nets big money for student aid

The 2010 McGill Book Fair raised a total of $84,500 – just below last year’s record tally of $86,029. “The rain on the second day set us back,” said McGill’s former Secretary-General and current Book Fair coordinator, Victoria Lees. The money raised by the two-day event goes toward creating student bursaries and scholarships.

Bereza honoured by CMA

Dr. Eugene Bereza received the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) 2010 Dr. William Marsden Award in Medical Ethics, recognizing a member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership, commitment and dedication to the cause of advancing and promoting excellence in the field of medical ethics in Canada. Bereza is Director of the Biomedical Ethics Unit, McGill Faculty of Medicine; the Neuroethics Program at Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital; and the Medical Ethics Program, McGill Department of Family Medicine,. He teaches seminars in bioethics to graduate students in medicine, law, philosophy, and religious studies.

Sweetening the pot for Centraide

With the Centraide campaign in full swing, the Human Resources team sweetened the pot with a contribution of $1,392.65 through its annual bake sale, raising $300 more than last year. Goods were on sale for a dollar apiece at the entrance of 688 Sherbooke. Centraide raises money to help many of McGill’s neighbors throughout the year. The money goes to food banks, agencies for troubled kids, shelters for battered women and much more. For more on McGill’s Centraide efforts, go to www.mcgill.ca/centraide/